ReTRo HouSeWiFe

BOOK

Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah, RATING: VERY GOOD

SUMMARY

Firefly Lane is the story of two girls who become best friends. It starts out in the 70s and follows the friends through high school, college and on into their adult lives.

REVIEW

How was that for a bland and vague summary of the book? Don't worry, Firefly Lane is by no means bland or vague. I wanted the summary to be impartial, and not give too much of the plot away. Plus, I didn't want to use up all my thoughts right at the get-go. I may only have a limited supply, after all.

Firefly Lane is a book for girls/women. In fact, if you are female, there is a very good chance you have lived parts of this book and that is doubly true if you are a member of Generation X. Our two main characters, Tully and Katie spend their formative years in the 1970s and then hit college in the 1980s. (I actually calculated out that they were about 3 years older than I, ...as if they were real people.) 

I really liked this book for two reasons. One is that Kristin Hannah understands the dynamics of female friendships and all of the emotional baggage that goes along with them. She describes situations and feelings in such a way that as I read through those passages, I would automatically access similar feelings and experiences from my own past, both positive and negative. Like, I could relate.

The second reason is that, for me, the book is what one would call a "blast from the past". Yup, that's right, you get to relive those glorious decades, the '70s and '80s, big hair and all. It'll make you giggle.

But, I have to warn you, Firefly Lane can be a tear jerker at times, so be careful about taking it to the cafe to read or other public places where you might feel a bit silly if you start blubbering.

All and all, a very good read.

RH

RETRO HOUSEWIFE, 2008-04-11

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Buy Firefly Lane for $15.48 at
Buy.com